The central mission of the Uttarakhand Solidarity Network is to not only facilitate information sharing among individuals and groups, but also to activate both Uttarakhandis and friends of Uttarakhand to struggle on various fronts for a brighter future for all. As documented in this web site, a myriad of issues and concerns lie beyond the Uttarakhand state movement, each of which need the support and active involvement of the common citizenry, both at the grassroots and cyberspace levels.

Indeed, many of the old Uttarakhand movement organizations have successfully made the jump from pre-statehood agitation of the 1990s to the contemporary challenges and issues facing Uttarakhand’s diverse population. Among these has been the Uttarakhand Sanyukt Sangarsh Morcha and Uttarakhand Mahila Manch which has not only spearheaded the women’s movement in the hills, but has also fought for the most basic demands of the Uttarakhand movement such as a permanent capital in Gairsain. The Uttarakhand Lok Vahini and Uttarakhand Kranti Dal also represent the regional aspirations at the political level, and often in alliance with Left parties such as the CPI(M) and CPI, have made ample use of their four seats in the 2002-2007 assembly to campaign on vital issues ignored by the national parties.

Going further back, Chipko also continues to resonate with local struggles over forest, land, and water rights. Some of these such as the Nanda Devi Campaign and the Beej Bachao Andolan with its roots in the same communities that gave Chipko its overwhelmingly female face of civil resistance, continue to grapple with Chipko’s mixed legacy, even as they attempt to forge new opportunities out of current predicaments. In this and many other efforts related to India’s serious pollution and food adulteration issues, SPECS India has lent a helping hand as a member of the groundbreaking network of Dehradun-based voluntary organizations and movements, the Alliance for Development.

As such, the multifaceted tapestry of social action and advocacy remains vibrant in the hills, woven as it is by succeeding generations of visionary but humble and self-sacrificing individuals. Each of these in turn awaken in their communities both the creativity and compassion that makes collective change possible. Hopefully, the following sample list of organizations with at least a basic web presence can provide a starting point for those seeking to more actively engage with social and environmental issues in Uttarakhand.

Unfortunately, any such list cannot even come close to doing justice to the incredible range of grassroots movements and voluntary organizations operating in the Uttarakhand Himalayas. Therefore, USN requests your assistance in contributing detailed descriptions of various organizations with a proven track record of social change work. Please send contributions to webmaster@uttarakhand.net.

Archived articles on various social movements dating to the late 1990s can be find here and a more extensive list of NGOs here.

Organizations & Information Links:

AME (ACADEMY FOR MOUNTAIN ENVIRONICS)
from the laboratory to the field
51/5 Rajpur Road, Dehradun, 248 001

Founded in 1995, AME operates as a collective of about a dozen professionals from various disciplines that work in such areas as biological conservation and watershed management. Seeing itself as a learning organization, AME pursues a community development framework within a mountain ecosystems context, while advocating participative research, community-based activities, enterprise development and servicing, and communication as its chief tools. Most recently, AME intervened in the Kataldi mining court case in 2001. As a follow up action, AME intends to monitor the mining sector as pressure mounts under the new state’s industrial policy for resumed large-scale extraction. In 2004, AME coordinated the compilation of a State of the Environment report for the Uttaranchal state government as well as two interns who completed a planning report for the proposed national capital region of Gairsain/Chandranagar.

BEEJ BACHAO ANDOLAN
Reviving traditional practices for local self-reliance
Nagni Village, Tehri Garhwal District, 249 175

The “Beej Bachao Andolan” or Save the Seeds movement was initiated by Chipko stalwart Vijay Jardhari with the late Kunwar Prasoon of Jardhargaon village in the late 1980s. Its members have traveled extensively through Uttarakhand to catalogue and collect hundreds of varieties of crops such as rice, kidney beans, and millet that have been falling into disuse due to the green revolution and decline of mountain agriculture. In the course of its research, the movement has developed an institutional capacity with little financial support, establishing a seed bank, herbarium, and experimental plots. In Jardhargaon itself, the movement has revived traditional farming practices using crops appropriate to the hills of Uttarakhand, restoring the soil while moving farmers off the chemical pesticide and fertilizer treadmill that has been threatening small farmers and consumers alike. Moreover the goal of conserving biodiversity has been integrated with preserving cultural heritage and restoring a sustainable local economy. [Article 1 | 2 | 3]

HIMALAYA TRUST
supporting grassroots initiatives with funding and networking
274/2 Vasant Vihar, Dehradun, 248 006

The Himalaya Trust (HT) was established in 1993 as a means to fund and sustain various grassroots initiatives in biodiversity conservation and rural empowerment. HT has come to serve a network of groups in Tehri, Uttarkashi, Almora, and neighbouring Himachal Pradesh districts. Over the years, these organizations have engaged in several forest regeneration and community development projects, as well as lent support to local movements such as the Chetna “Awareness” Andolan. Following the 1999 Chamoli earthquake, activists involved with HT engaged in recovery and reconstruction efforts through their spin-off organization, Samvedna. The HT has also partnered with international organizations such as PANOS for whom it coordinated the collection of oral testimonies for a series on mountain people. Carried out over six years by Indira Ramesh and a team of researchers, the research gathered extensive interviews with over thirty individuals from areas where HT has maintained an active presence. The project’s final report entitled, “Voices from the Mountain” focused on traditional knowledge and the age-old relations between human culture and nature.

PAHAR (PEOPLE’S ASSOCIATION FOR HIMALAYAN AREA RESEARCH)
Filling the gap in mountain research
Parikrama, Talla Danda Tallital, Nainital, 263 001

PAHAR is that rare non-profit organization that fulfills several important roles that no government institution can. Part think tank, part research institute, and part activist body, PAHAR is best known for its publications on all aspects of Himalayan geography, culture, and politics. Under the guidance some of Uttarakhand’s preeminent historians, PAHAR has sponsored everything from archaelogical expeditions to earthquake relief measures to social movement research. In these efforts, PAHAR has bypassed overly credentialled academic work for that jointly conducted by scientists, activists, and interested citizens.

PAHAR’s multidisciplinary approach can be seen in its principal interest in the state of the natural environment and people of Uttarakhand. To this effect, PAHAR has led an epic foot pilgrimage or padyatra from the eastern to western end of Uttarakhand once every decade over the last forty years. Known as the Askot Arakot Abhiyan, the march endeavours to travel the length of Uttarakhand to collect valuable economic, social, and environmental data on the state of mountain communities. In keeping with PAHAR’s interest in culture and history, the march also aims to gather oral histories from various far flung parts of the state.

RLEK (RURAL LITIGATION AND ENTITLEMENT KENDRA)
empowering the underprivileged by defending their civil and human rights
68/1 Rajpur Road, Dehradun, 248 001

RLEK is an organization based in Dehradun but operating in all 13 districts of Uttaranchal for the empowerment and legal protection of tribal people, women, and other disadvantaged groups. In keeping with its rights orientation, RLEK has established both a human rights centre and a training program for women panchayati leaders. RLEK has hosted several meetings of Uttarakhand’s local women leaders. Such gatherings have given a voice to the pressing concerns of women, particularly in the years following Uttaranchal statehood when a new panchayati raj act was being prepared. RLEK’s commitment to the Van Gujjar tribes of Rajaji National Park has been particularly vital in protecting their rights. RLEK has thus taken steps to empower their communities by brokering their involvement in forest management and offering adult education.

SBMA (SHRI BHUVANESHWARI MAHILA ASHRAM)
from service to advocacy and program implementation
P.O. Anjanisain, Tehri Garhwal District, 249 121

Sri Bhuvaneshwari Mahila Ashram was founded in 1977 at Anjanisain as a refuge for widows and orphans who had few other services dedicated to their plight at the time. Since then, the ashram has grown into a veritable campus that is constantly humming with various educational and planning activities. The local and international initiatives launched from the grounds of the Ashram reach over 300 villages in the Tehri Garhwal region.

During the 2002 Year of the Mountains, SBMA was particularly busy with the International Conference on Mountain Children that focused specifically on the needs of young people such as education, health care, social welfare, environmental awareness, and empowerment. Although its initial reach extended to surrounding Himalayan regions, the conference and its successor organization, the Mountain Children’s Forum, have been most successful at encouraging youth leadership in the rural regions of Uttarakhand itself. Today the forum operates independently as a loose network of groups linked with local NGOs that facilitate with capacity building and skills sharing.

More Organizations:

• Doodhatoli Lok Vikas Sansthan
  Ufrain Khal (Baijrom), Garhwal District, 246 275
• Himalayan Action Research Centre
  744 Indira Nagar Phase II, P O New Forest, Dehra Dun, 248 006
• Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi Paryavaran Shiksha Sansthan
  Jakhan Devi, Mall Road, Almora District, 263 601

And more!